[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
立つ鳥跡を濁さず
“Birds leave the water undisturbed.”
(Leave on a good note; create a good impression when leaving for good.)
This is what we should remind people who are about to go into a nature preserve. Used most frequently in reference to one’s place of work. Just as birds leave the water undisturbed, we should leave our current place of work undisturbed; i.e., in the best condition for one’s replacement.
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/casual/A=male, B=female)
A: Iyoiyo kaisha o yamete Nyuu Yooku e iku n da te ne.
B: Ee. Sorede ima tottemo isogashii no yo. Iroiro seiri shite okanakereba naranai koto ga takusan atte. Soreni “tatsu tori ato o nigosazu” da kara.
A: いよいよ会社を辞めてニューヨークへ行くんだってね。
B: ええ。それで今とっても忙しいのよ。いろいろ整理しておかなければならないことがたくさんあって。それに「立つ鳥後を
A: I hear you’re quitting the company and going to New York soon.
B: That’s right. So I’m really busy now. There are so many things I need to organize and put away. Besides, as the saying goes, “Birds leave the water undisturbed.”
Japanese Idioms
